Ornament assembly

ABSTRACT

A system of decorating a housing that includes a base and a plurality of decorative elements. The decorative elements are irremovably disposed on or partially in the base. The width and depth of the base is less than or equal to the width and depth of an inner surface dimensions of the housing such that the bottom inner surface area of the housing is entirely covered by one or more bases.

This patent application claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. § 119 to U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/694,035, filed on Sep. 1, 2017, U.S.patent application Ser. No. 15/638,082, filed on Jun. 29, 2017 and U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/465,346, filed on Mar. 1, 2017,which are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety as part ofthe present disclosure.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates generally to a decoration and morespecifically to at least one ornament assembly that includes a base thatsubstantially encompasses an entire surface area of a bottom wall of ahousing and into which base various design elements are irremovablydisposed. Said base having a shape that can encompass an interiorsurface of a housing that is of a non-uniform shape, including, but notlimited to a sloped, curved, semi-circular, global and drum-shaped.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Decorative ornaments are commonly used in connection with aquariums,terrariums and other housings in addition to being standalone objects.For example, various decorations are regularly placed in aquariums toimprove visual aesthetics and to provide fish and/or animals housed inthe aquarium with an artificial environment akin to their naturalhabitat. Such decorations usually include a layer of material such asgravel and/or sand that can be one or more of a variety of colors, liveand/or plastic plants, and other decorative objects such as coral,sunken ships, treasure chests, rocks, and/or signage.

To create an aesthetically appealing effect in an aquarium, items mustbe purchased and then arranged in the aquarium. However, manyindividuals lack the creativity, know-how, time, and/or the patience toselect and decorate an aquarium. Additionally, consumers do not alwayshave access to decor which they desire.

An aquarium, terrarium, or other housing is a habitat for fish,reptiles, or other creatures. It is a delicately balanced ecosystemcreated for fish, reptiles or other creatures to thrive. Abrupt changesto such an ecosystem can alter the environment and endanger the lives ofthe fish, reptiles or other creatures. These enclosures require regularcleaning to ensure the viability of life housed therein and the overallcleanliness thereof. This is often a very time-consuming process thatrequires the temporary removal of fish and/or other animals, movement orremoval of gravel and/or other decorative elements and at least in thecase of an aquarium, the displacement and discarding of water from theaquarium (usually into a drain or toilet) that requires carefulattention not to accidently include gravel or other decorative elementsso as to not discard such decorative elements with the displaced water,damaging the elements and/or possibly clogging the drain/toilet intowhich the water is being discarded.

The soiled gravel and/or other decorative elements must be cleaned orreplaced, and regardless of whether the decorative elements are cleanedor replaced, the movement and/or removal of gravel and/or decorativeelements in order to clean an aquarium requires a significant commitmentin both time and energy to move and/or remove the items, clean the itemsor replace them with a new scheme and ensure the vitality of the aquaticlife housed in the aquarium. Should one decide not to remove alldecorative items and water from a housing when cleaning, commonly,material arranged on the base of the aquarium will be displaced andmixed with the water in the housing. If not handled properly, in thecase of aquariums, the stirring of loose gravel when adding or movingdecor, can alter the environment and create a toxic environment bycausing high levels of ammonia gas and nitrates to be released into theaquarium water. The high gaseous levels, which emanate from waste fromfish and/or animals in the aquarium and food particles not consumed thatnaturally break down in the material (e.g., gravel) placed on the baseof the aquarium, can often damage the protective body-coating of fishand their delicate fins. The harsh nature of the gases can also lead tothe onset of disease to the fish contained in the aquarium, and commonlyleads to fish dying soon after being exposed to such gases (e.g., withinabout twenty-four hours). This is a frequent problem for consumers,especially those new to fishkeeping. The same applies to reptiles andsmall animals. Thus, there are many challenges and concerns withcreating a desired decorative environment, cleaning an aquarium thatincludes a decorative environment and recreating a decorativeenvironment after cleaning the aquarium.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the present invention is directed to a decorative ornamentassembly that substantially obviates one or more of the problems due tolimitations and disadvantages of the related art.

An object of the invention is to provide a decorative ornament assemblythat fits within and covers the entire inner surface area of acontainer, such as a fish tank, all which may have different innersurface widths, lengths, depths and circumferences.

Another object of the invention is to simplify the cleaning process of ahousing, such as an aquarium, by allowing a user to quickly remove thedecorative ornament assembly in one step rather than having to removedecorative elements in an open container, such as gravel, plants, andornaments, individually.

Yet another object of the invention is to simplify the decorationprocess of a holding container, such as an aquarium, by allowing usersto insert a decorative ornament assembly with all of the decorativeelements affixed to it rather than having to individually purchase andinsert various decorative items, such as plants, gravel, and ornaments,into a holding container.

In an embodiment, the present invention is directed to an ornamentassembly configured to be arranged within a housing that includes atleast one sidewall. The ornament assembly comprises a base delimited atan outer periphery and a plurality of decorative elements that are atleast one of irremovably disposed on and partially fixed within thebase. The base is configured to extend substantially about an interiorspace of the housing such that the base is contactable with the at leastone sidewall of the housing.

The base can extend across an entire surface area of a portion of thehousing such that the entire portion of the housing is covered by thebase. Alternatively, the portion of the housing can be entirely coveredby two or more bases.

The base can be comprised of at least one of gravel, sand, marbles,stones, plastic, paper, or any other type of suitable base materialwhich are bound together to form a solid structure. The decorativeelements can include plants, rocks, sunken ships, treasure chests,statues, signage, castles, and other decorative subject matter thatappeals to consumers.

In another embodiment, the present invention is directed to a system ofdecorating an open container that includes a base having a depth anddelimited at an outer periphery and a plurality of decorative elementsthat are at least one of irremovably disposed on and partially fixedwithin the base and a housing that includes at least one sidewall. Awidth and a depth of the base is less than or equal to a width and adepth of an inner surface area of the housing, and the inner surfacearea of the housing is entirely covered by the base.

The inner surface area of the housing can be entirely covered by two ormore bases that are contactable or adjacent to each other to form thedecorative ornament assembly. The bases can be adjoined by abutting eachother, by a hinge, magnets, or another fastener or apparatus allowingthe bases to form the decorative ornament assembly.

The base can be made of at least one of gravel, sand, marbles, stones,rocks, plastic, paper, and a similar solidly formed substance, or afacsimiles thereof, or any other type of suitable base material whichare bound together to form a solid structure.

The decorative elements can be at least one of plants, rocks, sunkenships, treasure chests, statues, signage, castles, and other decorativesubject matter that appeals to consumers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A is a front perspective view of a first embodiment of adecorative ornament assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 1B is a front perspective view of the decorative ornament assemblyof FIG. 1A arranged in a housing;

FIG. 2A is a front perspective view of a second embodiment of adecorative ornament assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 2B is a front perspective view of the decorative ornament assemblyof FIG. 1A arranged in a housing;

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a third embodiment of a decorativeornament assembly of the present invention located in a housing;

FIG. 4. is a front perspective view of a fourth embodiment of adecorative ornament assembly of the present invention;

FIGS. 5A and 5B are a front perspective views of a fifth and sixthembodiment of a decorative ornament assembly of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a known aquarium shape;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing a decorative ornament assemblyarranged in the aquarium of FIG. 6;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a seventh embodiment of a decorativeornament assembly arranged in a housing;

FIG. 9 is another known housing in which a decorative ornament assemblyhaving a shape contoured to a portion of the inner surface area;

FIG. 10 is a perspective view of the housing of FIG. 9 showing an eighthembodiment of a decorative ornament assembly of the present inventionarranged therein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF EMBODIMENTS OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the invention,examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. It isnoted that the thicknesses of layers and regions in the drawings areexaggerated for clarity.

The decorative ornament assembly not only allows for an aestheticallypleasing appearance in a housing or on a surface, but also reduces thecost of purchasing several items to create such a decorative element,significantly reduces the time, expertise, imagination, creativity, andknow-how required to create the desired decorative look and allows foreasy removal from a container or from a surface to clean the containeror surface and to clean or replace the decorative element.

FIG. 1A is a front perspective view of a first embodiment of adecorative ornament assembly 100 of the present invention. Thedecorative ornament assembly 100 includes a base 110 that may havevarying shapes, widths, depths, and heights depending on its intendeduse and stylization. The base 110 can be comprised of gravel, sand,marbles, stones, plastic, paper, and/or a similar substance or anothermaterial which are bound together using various methods and materialsthat are well known in the art, such as epoxy or resin bonding, glue, oruse of any other adhesive material to form a solid structure and intowhich design elements 120 are irremovably disposed. The design elements120 can include, for example, plants, statutes, signage, castles, sunkenships, treasure chests or other decorations are then irremovablydisposed on or partially disposed in the base 110. As such, because thedesign elements 120 stand freely in conjunction with the base 110, theydo not require repositioning or the aid of another structure to supportthe design elements 120 creating various environmental themes, such asan ocean, coral reefs, sunken cities, surfing, sailing, lighthouses on acliff, forest, etc.

During manufacture of the decorative ornament assembly 100, thedecorative elements 120 may be irremovably disposed on or partially inthe base 110 by heating the base material, inserting the decorativeelements 120 in or on the base material and then cooling the base 110 sothe base material hardens and secures the decorative elements 120therein or thereon.

Alternatively, the decorative elements 120 may be inserted into, orattached to, the base 110 material, and then a resin, glue, or otheradhesive material may be added to the base 110 so that it hardens into asingle decorative ornament assembly.

As shown in in FIG. 1B, the base 110 of the decorative ornament assembly100 is configured such that it encompasses the entire surface area of abottom wall within a housing 130, such as an aquarium, thereby providinga customized and professionally decorative appearance. Moreover, thedecorative ornament assembly 100 can be selectively removed and replacedwith an alternative decorative ornament assembly which is also sized tofit on and cover the entire inner bottom surface area of the housing130.

The base 110 of the ornament assembly 100 has a predetermined width,depth, and height wherein these dimensions allow it to fit along orwithin the bottom inner surface area of a housing, such as a glass tankor container of other material. The ornament assembly 100 may be sizedto fit inside standard sized aquariums (i.e. 2.5, 5, or 10 gallon tanks)or custom shaped tanks and/or other housings or containers comprised ofvarious materials (e.g., glass, composite, plastic, etc.).

FIG. 1B is a front perspective view of a first embodiment of the presentinvention located in a housing (e.g., a glass container, a glass tank,vase, or a container of another material). As shown in FIG. 1B, the base110 of the decorative ornament assembly 100 has a width and depth whichconforms to the inner surface dimensions of the bottom of the housing130. If this housing 130 is an aquarium, the user can then add water andfish to the container to complete the aquarium setup.

As the base 110 of the decorative ornament assembly 100 is affixed tothe decorative elements 120, a user can simply remove the decorativeornament assembly 100 from a housing 130 by grabbing either the base 110or decorative elements 120. Removal of the entire decorative ornamentassembly 100 from the housing in one step greatly simplifies the processof redecorating or cleaning a housing. For example, when the housing 130is an aquarium, a user could easily clean the housing 130 by removingany contents thereof, such as fish/animals, removing the decorativeornament assembly 100, and then draining the water contained in thehousing 130. The user would then be able to easily clean the entiredecorative ornament assembly 100 and the housing 130 and then re-insertthe cleaned decorative ornament assembly 100 into the housing 130 thathas been cleaned or insert an alternative decorative ornament assemblyinto the housing 130.

In another embodiment, the base 110 of the decorative ornament assembly100 can have one or more holes to allow for the insertion of aconnecting a device for easier extraction of the decorative ornamentassembly 100 from the housing 130. The hole can include a helical ridgeor other fastening ridges, allowing a connecting device to fasten intothe base 110. In addition, the hole can have a varying depth or extendthrough the base 110. In instances where the decorative ornamentassembly 100 is used in an aquarium, a through hole in the base 110allows water to pass through the base 110, minimizing resistance whenremoving the decorative ornament assembly 100 from a housing 130.

The base 110 can be of varying sizes or shapes, including rectangular,square, circular, or any other particular shape in order to fully coverthe bottom inner surface of a housing of any shape.

FIG. 2A is a front perspective view of a second embodiment of adecorative ornament assembly 200. The decorative ornament assembly 200includes a base 210 comprised of gravel and other materials anddecorative elements 220 that are fixed to the base 210 and/or each other(e.g., by an adhesive or formed together). By combining the base 210with decorative elements 220, the decorative ornament assembly 200 canact as a stand-alone decorative ornament or as a decorative centerpiece,such as those often found in restaurants, homes, bars, hotels, and othersimilar establishments. In such a case, a decorative ornament assembly200 with various decorative elements 220 can be purchased and quicklyand easily set into place without the need to purchase individual itemsor assemble the items to create a stand-alone decorative ornament ordecorative centerpiece. The decorative ornament assembly 200 can beeasily replaced, if and when needed, with an alternative decorativeornament assembly, for example, to reflect the different seasons of theyear, holidays, occasions, sports, travel, or changes in personal tastein decor.

FIG. 2B depicts the decorative ornament assembly 200 arranged within ahousing 230. The housing 230 has a square shaped bottom surface area,and the base 210 of the decorative ornament assembly 200 includes a base210 that has a width and depth that completely encompasses the innersurface area of the bottom of the housing 230.

Although a square open housing 230 is shown in FIG. 2B, the decorativeornament assembly 200 can be arranged in a variety of housings, such asaquariums, terrariums, vases, or any other container. Regardless of thehousing in which the decorative ornament assembly 200 is arranged, theuser would again gain the benefit of being able to place a completedecorative ornament assembly 200 that includes the base 210 anddecorative elements 220 into a housing as opposed to having topurchasing those decorative elements individually and arranging thoseelements in the housing.

FIG. 3 is a front perspective view of a third embodiment of a decorativeornament assembly 300 located within a housing 330. The housing 330 iscomprised of panels that can be comprised of, for example, glass,silicone glass, plastic, or another material. As shown, the housing 330has a rectangular shaped bottom surface area, and the base 310 of thedecorative ornament assembly 300 is manufactured to substantially fitwithin the inner surface area of the housing 330.

Due to manufacturing and shipping limitations, along with concernsregarding weight of the decorative ornament assembly, the base of adecorative ornament assembly can only be so large. For example, a singledecorative ornament assembly is not intended for use in largecontainers, such as a 50-gallon aquarium that has an inner width of 37inches and a depth of 19 inches because the weight of the ornamentassembly would make it difficult for a user to lift the assembly and/orplace the assembly in such a container. If a single decorative ornamentassembly that includes a base of about one inch in thickness and is madeof polypropylene was used in conjunction with such a container, the baseof the decorative ornament would have a volume of 703 cubic inches.Polypropylene has a weight of approximately 0.494 ounces per cubic inch.As such, in this example, the weight of the base alone, excludingadditional weight provided by any decorative elements attached to thedecorative ornament assembly, would be approximately 347 ounces, ornearly 22 pounds. If the base is made of a denser material, such asmarbles or gravel, the weight would dramatically increase. Both thecumbersome size and weight of such a large decorative ornament assemblyand corresponding base would obviate the benefits of the disclosedinvention.

In order to cover a large surface area without concern of having to lifta single heavy object and/or risk damaging a surface of a housing whenarranging the object thereon, multiple decorative elements can be placedadjacent to each other. As shown in an embodiment in FIG. 4, a firstdecorative ornament assembly 400 and a second decorative ornamentassembly 402 are arranged adjacent to each other in a housing 430. Thefirst decorative ornament assembly 400 includes a base 410 that has awidth that is less than width of the inner surface area of the housing430, but is still manufactured to fit within the inner surface area ofthe housing 430. The second decorative ornament assembly 402, which isplaced adjacent the first ornament assembly 400, includes a base 412that has a width less than the width of the inner surface area of thehousing 430 so as to also fit within the housing 430. The width andlength of bases 410 and 412 conforms to the inner surface dimensions ofthe bottom of the housing 430 and are manufactured in a manner that,when placed contiguously, the bases 410 and 412 fully cover the innerbottom surface of the housing 430. Use of multiple decorative ornamentassembly's to fully cover the inner surface area of the housing 430 willkeep the weight of each decorative ornament assembly at a minimum.

In order to ensure a decorative ornament assembly that comprisesmultiple pieces remains adjacent to each other when arranged in acontainer, the pieces can be fastened to each other by any known meansincluding the use of adhesives, locking mechanisms, magnets, etc. orcombined by a hinge system (e.g., living hinge, mechanical hingesystem).

In an embodiment, the decorations, including, but not limited to,ornaments and plants, can be releasably connected to the base so thatthe base and decorations can be shipped and/or packaged separately andvarious decorations can be replaced/interchanged to vary the decor asdesired. This could possibly aid in packaging of the decorations in afurther attempt to avoid damage to the decorations and reduce shippingfees.

For example, the base can include openings that can receive a connectorfrom a plant (e.g., male-female connecting system), the base can includeprojections that extend into a receptor attached to the end of a plant,the base can include magnets that interact with decorations havingmagnets of an opposite polarity, dowels or the like can be used toconnect decorations and the base or any other connection method that isknown or may become known can be used to releasably attach decorationsto the base.

The aforementioned advantages of the current invention also apply aswill be described in further detail below, if the decorative ornamentassembly of the present invention is used in connection with othercontainers, such as terrariums, globes, drums, or as a stand-alonedecorative ornament, as opposed to with aquariums.

As shown in embodiments in FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, a decorative ornamentassembly, here indicated by reference numerals 500A and 500B,respectively, can include a base 502A, 502B, respectively, that has adepth that can be arranged in a housing that includes a contoured and/orcurved sidewall. As such, the base 502A, 502B can substantiallyencompass an inner surface area of the housing without leaving a gapbetween the base 502A, 502B and the bottom portion of the housing orrequiring gravel, sand, or the like to be placed beneath the base 502A,502B as a filler, defeating the purpose of the one-piece ornamentassembly.

The decorative ornament assemblies of the present invention may havevarying shapes, widths, depths, and heights depending on their intendeduse and stylization. For example, a base 704 of a decorative ornamentassembly 700 as can be seen in FIG. 7 that is designed for use with aknown housing 700 (see FIG. 6) can include sloping contoured sidewalls706 such that the base 704 tapers toward a bottom portion of the housing700. If traditional decorative elements were used in place of thedecorative element 702 shown in FIG. 7, cleaning a housing such as theone shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 can be very time consuming and requireextensive rearrangement and/or replacement of decorative elements

FIG. 8 illustrates a perspective view of another known housing 800 inwhich a decorative ornament assembly 802 is arranged. As can be seen,the decorative ornament assembly 802 includes a base 804 with slopingsidewalls 806 that substantially contour to an interior space of thehousing 800.

FIG. 9 illustrates another known housing 900 that includes a firstsemi-circular or dome shaped portion 902 that has a first rim 904 and asecond semi-circular or dome shaped portion 906 that has a second rim908 which is contactable with and seals within or around the first rim904 of the first semi-circular or dome shaped portion 902. Although thecontainer 900 is shown to rest on a base 910, the container 900 can behung and/or not contain a base as well.

FIG. 10 depicts a decorative ornament assembly 1000 that is arranged inthe housing 900 of FIG. 9. As shown, in order to substantially accountfor the interior space of the housing 900, the decorative ornamentassembly 1000 has a base 1002 with sloping sidewalls 1004 and asubstantially linear bottom wall 1006.

The base of all embodiments can be comprised of gravel, sand, marbles,stones, plastic, paper, and/or a similar substance or another materialwhich are bound together using various methods and materials that arewell known in the art, such as epoxy or resin bonding, glue, or use ofany other adhesive material to form a solid structure and into whichdesign elements are irremovably disposed. The design elements for allembodiments can include, for example, plants, statutes, signage,castles, sunken ships, treasure chests or other decorations are thenirremovably disposed on or partially disposed in the base. As such,because the design elements stand freely in conjunction with the base,they do not require repositioning or the aid of another structure tosupport the design elements creating various environmental themes, suchas an ocean, coral reefs, sunken cities, surfing, sailing, lighthouseson a cliff, forest, etc.

Although embodiments of decorative ornament assemblies are shown hereinto include substantially linear bases, bases with sloping or conicalsidewall, etc., the decorative ornament assemblies of the presentinvention can include a base having any configuration, including baseswith varying depths and shapes to be arranged in a variety of housings,such as aquariums, terrariums, vases, or any other container.

Although the description above and figures contains much specificity,the details provided should not be construed as limiting the scope ofthe embodiments, but merely as describing some of the features of theembodiments. The description and figures should not to be taken asrestrictive and are understood as broad and general teachings inaccordance with the present invention. While the embodiments have beendescribed using specific terms, such description is for illustrativepurposes only, and it is to be understood that modifications andvariations to such embodiments, including, but not limited to, thesubstitutions of equivalent features and terminology may be readilyapparent to those of skill in the art based upon this disclosure withoutdeparting from the spirit and scope of the invention.

1-8. (canceled)
 9. The system of claim 13, wherein the base of eachornament assembly is made of at least one of gravel, sand, marbles,stones, rocks, paper, plastic and facsimiles thereof, which are boundtogether to form a solid structure.
 10. The system of claim 13, whereinthe at least one of said decorative elements comprises at least one ofrocks, ships, treasure chests, statues, signage and castles.
 11. Thesystem of claim 13, wherein the bottom wall inner surface area of thehousing is entirely covered by two or more bases.
 12. The system ofclaim 13, wherein the outer periphery of the base is contoured andincludes at least one inclined surface.
 13. A decorative systemcomprising: a container or housing which includes a bottom for definingan inner surface area and at least one sidewall; a plurality ofreplaceable decorative ornament assemblies of differing visual designs,each of said decorative ornament assemblies creating a uniqueenvironmental theme, each said assembly including a base and one or moredecorative elements, the base having a bottom as well as an outerperiphery, the base forming a solid structure to which said one or moredecorative elements are permanently affixed in position thereon andupwardly depend therefrom without the aid of a separate supportingstructure, at least one of said decorative elements being located awayfrom said outer periphery of said base with the bottom of the basehaving the same size and shape as that of the bottom wall inner surfacearea of the housing; wherein each said decorative ornament assembly isselectively and independently receivable within said housing such thatsaid bottom inner surface area of said housing is entirely covered bythe bottom of said base of each of said ornament assemblies with theouter periphery of the ornament assembly base abutting said at least onesidewall of the housing when a selected ornament assembly is seatedwithin said housing; wherein said at least one of said decorativeelements is located away from said base outer periphery, said at leastone of said decorative elements being substantially rigid and having anaxis extending upwards from the base, a first cross-sectional diameterat a first location along said axis, a second cross-sectional diameterat a second location further along said axis from the base than thefirst location, the second cross-sectional diameter being larger thanthe first cross-sectional diameter; wherein said at least one of saiddecorative elements affixed to a respective decorative ornament assemblyis structurally arranged to permit a user to selectively remove therespective decorative ornament assembly from said housing by means ofgrabbing said at least one of said decorative elements to lift out saidornament assembly from said housing.
 14. (canceled)
 15. The system ofclaim 13, wherein at least one of the decorative ornament assemblies hasa one-piece construction.
 16. A decorative system comprising: acontainer or housing which includes a bottom for defining an innersurface area and at least one sidewall; a replaceable decorativeornament assembly of a specific visual design, said decorative ornamentassembly creating a unique environmental theme, said assembly includinga base and one or more decorative elements, the base having a bottom aswell as an outer periphery, the base forming a solid structure to whichsaid one or more decorative elements are permanently affixed in positionthereon and upwardly depend therefrom without the aid of a separatesupporting structure, at least one of said decorative elements beinglocated away from said outer periphery of the housing with the bottom ofthe base having the same size and shape as that of the bottom innersurface area of the housing; wherein said decorative ornament assemblyis selectively and independently receivable within said housing suchthat said bottom inner surface area of said housing is entirely coveredby the bottom of said base of said ornament assembly with the outerperiphery of the ornament assembly base abutting said at least onesidewall of the housing when a selected ornament assembly is seatedwithin said housing; wherein said at least one of said decorativeelements is located away from said base outer periphery, said at leastone of said decorative elements being substantially rigid and having anaxis extending upwards from the base, a first cross-sectional diameterat a first location along said axis , a second cross-sectional diameterat a second location further along said axis from the base than thefirst location, the second cross-sectional diameter being larger thanthe first cross-sectional diameter; wherein said at least one of saiddecorative elements affixed to said decorative ornament assembly isstructurally arranged to permit a user to selectively remove thedecorative ornament assembly by grabbing said at least one of saiddecorative in order to lift out said ornament assembly from saidhousing.
 17. The system of claim 16, wherein the base of each ornamentassembly is made of at least one of gravel, sand, marbles, stones,rocks, paper, plastic and facsimiles thereof, which are bound togetherto form a solid structure.
 18. The system of claim 16, wherein the atleast one of said decorative elements comprises at least one of rocks,ships, treasure chests, statues, signage and castles.
 19. The system ofclaim 16, wherein the bottom wall inner surface area of the housing isentirely covered by two or more bases.
 20. The system of claim 16,wherein the outer periphery of the base is contoured and includes atleast one inclined surface.
 21. The system of claim 16, wherein saiddecorative ornament assembly has a one piece construction. 22-25.(canceled)